LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwire) - Editors Note: There are two photos associated with this press release.

The man who risked $1 million of his own money in TV show Million Dollar Traders is putting his reputation back on the line.

Lex van Dam defied the odds in the BBC2 programme screened last year when he gave himself less than two weeks to give eight complete beginners financial training on how to play the stock market. His group of novices were given two months to run their own hedge fund with Lex's cash and - as the world went into economic meltdown - they stunned experts by performing better than the professionals.

Lex wanted to prove that anyone can tame the stock market beast; and he's now gone one step further with the launch of the Lex van Dam Trading Academy.

The learning trading aids at the heart of the academy are the online 5-Step-Trading(tm) modules. In the five videos Lex explodes the myths about the financial markets, explains how to avoid the costly pitfalls and gives people a simple, step-by-step guide to safer investing. And it contains never seen material from the Million Dollar Traders training program.

Lex, whose 2009 book How To Make Money Trading made it on to the best-seller list, says: "I still don't think that enough people outside the City understand how to manage their money and their pensions.

"People spend more time choosing a new car than thinking about their financial future. That has to be wrong.

"And I'm tired of the so-called City experts ripping off hard-working members of the public. I think people would be better off educating and trusting themselves rather than blindly following the professionals who are more interested in managing their own careers than managing other people's money with any competence."

One of the reasons Lex is launching his academy is that he is extremely concerned about the credentials of the people who earn their livings teaching the public how to trade. He says: "Education in finance is similar to selling snake oil. I am embarrassed by some of the methods people use to sell their 'know-how' to the unsuspecting public. People pay thousands for courses that are totally useless.

"A lot of failed traders end up teaching people how to trade. There should be a law against this. They can't do it themselves so how the hell can they teach others?"

Lex's five-step guide is a checklist of what to do before risking your money on the stock market or spread betting market. The modules focus on stocks but also apply to foreign exchange and index trading.

-- Step one: idea generation.. explains how to come up with your own ideas rather than listening to rumours or following what others do. This will stop you panicking if things go against you.

-- Step two: company analysis.. tells you five crucial things you need to

know about the companies you're trading in. Has the firm made any money recently? Is the boss useless?

-- Step three: chart analysis.. teaches you how to read charts and to use them to your advantage.

asset - you. You can only make money when you know what kind of trader you are.

-- Step five: risk management.. explains how to control your risks.

Lex says: "There are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happened. I think that doing my course will get you into the second category.

"Beginners are often lucky in trading, which is a real shame. If they had lost more money initially they might have acquired the necessary market wisdom quicker."

5-Step-Trading(tm) - which includes a two-hour question and answer seminar with Lex - is the perfect companion for all investors, whether you are a novice or an old hand. The videos will walk you through the right strategies for short-term trading as well as long-term investing and features leading trading psychologist Steve Ward. And at GBP 249, it's the cheapest course on the market - the average cost of other courses is thousands of pounds. Visit http://www.lexvandam.com/ to sign up to the modules.

Lex, 42, spent 10 years with Goldman Sachs in New York and London before moving into hedge funds. The straight-talking Dutchman is now a partner of hedge fund Hampstead Capital in Central London. He lives in London.

Contact Profile

Lex van Dam

Notes for editors:

1) For more information about the academy or for an interview with Lex please email [email protected]

To view the first photo associated with this press release, please visit the following link: http://www.marketwire.com/library/20101119-lex_van_dam_nov21_pic01.jpg

To view the second photo associated with this press release, please visit the following link: http://www.marketwire.com/library/20101119-lex_van_dam_nov21_pic02.jpgLex van DamP: -W:www.lexvandam.com

Keywords

Lex explodes the myths about the financial markets, explains how to avoid the costly pitfalls and gives people a simple, step-by-step guide to safer investing.